down to business: my theory of cancer

Tom's Theory: cancer is caused by lack of circulation.

Lack of circulation can be caused by a number of factors: body chemistry, lack of exercise, and also "holding," or tissue stasis, sometimes caused by emotional habits or issues. There are also circulatory functions that are highly dependent on self-care habits. (The body is not quite as automatic as we commonly think.)

Lack of circulation in a tissue (organ, system, locale) makes for unhappy, sick, and, sometimes, insane cells. The latter is cancer.

This sounds like a fairy tale, but I think it holds up well as a theory.

Conversely, abundant circulation allows cells to "live easy." They can work effectively, they are comfortable, and they can take care of themselves, that is, maintain their vital structures, because they have abundant supplies of all they require.

Second component of Tom's Theory:

Cancer starts as ordinary discomforts: colds, aches and pains, and so on. These, also, are symptoms of lack of circulation. (I interpret the following experience as confirmation of that: I haven't had a cold, sniffle, sore throat, or any hay fever symptoms for two years, since I renewed my yoga practice. It was an unexpected benefit. Is yoga a cure for anything? It has a bit of that reputation, and maybe that's more justified than we might have thought. On the other hand, I'm skeptical about some yoga practices. Basically, I'd say stick with hatha yoga! More on that later.)

Some people know what to do about ordinary conditions like the ones just described. When they have an ache or a pain, they instinctively massage it, maybe even vigorously so. When they have a cold, they whip up steaming chicken soup. For a sore throat, they make toddies and gargle with salt water. Soon, the symptoms subside, and it was nothing. But many people don't have those responses to rely on. Without access to self care, their symptoms linger. Eventually, they may find themselves with cancer.

The above paragraph provides the most basic, and, in many ways, vital prescription for preventing and treating cancer. I cannot overemphasize that this is also, according to my theory, the correct treatment for cancer. From the idea that cancer starts as ordinary ailments, it follows that it is an ordinary ailment. (The logic is this: it is cells in need of attention.) From that it follows that ordinary treatments are appropriate.

This requires a bit more attention. The reason medicine thinks ordinary treatments don't work is because they work a little bit at a time. There's no immediate dramatic change, so the doctors think nothing's happening. Here is what to look for when applying these treatments: first, if it feels good - for example, if you take a gargle for throat cancer, and it feels cleansing - that sensation is your subtle sign that the treatment is working. Now, cancer is an advanced form of the ordinary condition (sore throat), so a lot of the structures that make up the illness are present. One gargle probably won't wash them all away. Therefore, these cure must be repeated, often over and over. Basically, every time you feel the discomfort associated with your condition, you apply the treatment. You are treating the symptom to treat the disease. Do it diligently ... just as you would be diligent in your disciplines to prevent disease. (Also, I will be discussing ideas for selecting treatments a bit later.)

You test to see whether they are working in a long term sense by: feeling for a cleansed, refreshed, or otherwise pleasing sensation each time you apply the treatment. Expect these positive sensations to become more long lasting as time goes by. (When they do, you know you don't need as much therapy, any more ... but you will always need some therapy, because that's part of ordinary life!)

Let me emphasize the last point. Those positive sensations are mild and self-effacing, but they are very real. You feel good because something good is happening. At first, sensations of distress soon return to the fore. That's another point: the pleasant sensations that indicate the effectiveness of the therapy may overlay the difficult sensations associated with the disease. The latter may not really subside, at first. Still, the pleasing sensations are quite real and tangible and meaningful, as described. Also, even in the presence of continued pain, the feelings of relief are wonderful and good. Again, give them to yourself over and over again, because, each time you do, you heal a little bit more.

The present case differs, though, in that there are no symptoms. In terms of my theory, then, we are talking about prevention, not cure. But I have just stated that the two are the same thing. The question that remains, then, is what actions are appropriate for prevention, or cure, in this particular instance.

Since that is a somewhat involved, I want to take it up in another chapter, and write about it another day. I have had the idea, though, that I can make a useful prescription already, based on what I've written here.

Just the idea that the preventive and cure for cancer is circulation, and that cancer symptoms - any kind of discomfort - are neurological signals for attention, should set you well on your way to being able to handle cancer, as a general phenomenon, and in its various manifestations (i.e., just the possibility of it, precursors, early symptoms, and even advanced cases, if you have that). I guess this is quite an outrageous claim, so let me add notes on a couple of other aspects of the problem, that will help reinforce the case.

The case I refer to is the case for the most universal therapy. I hinted that some therapies are appropriate for some conditions, others for other conditions. Sorting those variations out will take a bit of time, but there is a universal therapy. The only problem is, you might think it is a fantasy. That's why I need to lay out some of the details.

The universal therapy is as follows: let's say you feel an ache, the cause of which is unknown, or, maybe there's some hint of the cause, but the solution to it is not clear or readily at hand. Well, just thinking about the underlying reality of momentarily (or maybe chronically) impaired circulation will start the process of resuming circulation. Actually, you're thinking about restoring circulation ... sending circulation to the affected area. What's the affected area? It's where you feel some discomfort.

I'm reminded that I read about a well regarded method for pain relief, originating in the medical establishment, that involves asking the patient questions about the pain: how big is it, what shape is it, what color is it? These questions are repeated over and over, and it was reported that the pain would gradually become softer, rounder, smaller, and of a more pleasing color. What was not asserted, but what I would assert, is that the pain relief was accompanied by actual healing, and continued practice could be effective as a treatment for not only pain, but the condition itself.

That is exactly what I am prescribing. And here, in brief, is the logic behind it. I spoke of the somewhat erroneous notion that basic body functions are wholly automatic. Another possible misnomer is that circulation refers only to the circulation of blood. It would, I contend, not even be correct to only add lymphatic circulation to the list, though it could be helpful to consider it. What else can we add? There are, I think, several other categories. The one I particularly want to mention, here, is the circulation of nerve impulses through the body. We don't usually think of that as a form of circulation, but I think it very clearly is. I think we can even think of nerve impulses as a kind of nourishment, which is being sent to receptors all over the body. And, since circulation goes in a circle, let's also think about nerve impulses returning from distant parts of the body to the central nervous system: if we simply pay attention, listen, to messages from various parts of our body (perhaps giving ourselves some quiet time to dedicate to that especially), isn't that encouraging the free flow of the cycle? I think so!

Finally and in conclusion: I liked a comment I heard from macrobiotics, that eating macrobiotically (their method) will make you smart, and being smart will allow you to be rich. I will hypothesize, as part of the universal cure (in case you only have that to work with) that practicing it will give you information you need to construct the details. So, in effect, you now have all you need to be healthy. However, I will certainly continue with more detailed information on a number of applicable topics.